- A
Put Amazon CloudFront in front of the S3 origin.
CloudFront caches popular package files at edge locations, so repeated downloads can be served without repeatedly hitting S3. That reduces origin data transfer and improves user download performance, which is exactly what this scenario needs.
- B
Use versioned object names and long cache TTLs for the release artifacts.
Versioned filenames make it safe to cache the packages aggressively because a new release uses new object names. Long TTLs then let CloudFront reuse cached copies for many downloads, cutting origin requests and lowering cost.
- C
Disable caching so every user always gets the newest file from S3.
Why wrong: Disabling caching guarantees more origin traffic, higher latency, and higher S3 data transfer costs. The files are release artifacts, so they are well suited to aggressive caching with versioned names.
- D
Serve the downloads from a self-managed EC2 web server instead of S3.
Why wrong: A self-managed web server adds patching, scaling, and availability work and does not automatically reduce data transfer cost. It is usually more expensive than serving static packages from S3 through CloudFront.
- E
Move the release packages to S3 Glacier Deep Archive for faster downloads.
Why wrong: Deep Archive is for extremely low-cost long-term retention, not for active software distribution. Retrieval is slower and more expensive than standard storage classes, so it is the wrong fit for frequently downloaded packages.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use versioned object names and long cache TTLs for the release artifacts. This works because Amazon CloudFront caches objects at edge locations, so when users in the same region repeatedly download the same large installation package, the file is served from the edge cache instead of being fetched from the S3 origin each time. By implementing versioned object names—such as app-v2.1.0.iso instead of app-latest.iso—you ensure that each unique release is cached distinctly, while a long cache TTL (e.g., one year) prevents CloudFront from re-validating with S3, drastically reducing origin data transfer costs. On the SAA-C03 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how CloudFront’s caching behavior directly lowers S3 egress charges; a common trap is to suggest increasing S3 bucket performance or using S3 Transfer Acceleration, which do not address repeated origin fetches. Remember the memory tip: “Version and cache long to keep the origin bill from going wrong.”
SAA-C03 Design Cost-Optimized Architectures Practice Question
This SAA-C03 practice question tests your understanding of design cost-optimized architectures. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A global software company distributes large installation packages from an Amazon S3 bucket. During release week, many users in the same region download the same file repeatedly, and the origin bill is rising because the same objects are fetched over and over. The team wants to lower origin data transfer and improve delivery cost. Which two actions should it take? Select two.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Put Amazon CloudFront in front of the S3 origin.
Amazon CloudFront acts as a content delivery network (CDN) that caches objects at edge locations close to users. By placing CloudFront in front of the S3 bucket, repeated downloads of the same file are served from the edge cache, drastically reducing the number of requests to the S3 origin and lowering data transfer costs from S3. CloudFront also offers free data transfer to the origin for cached content, further optimizing delivery cost.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Put Amazon CloudFront in front of the S3 origin.
Why this is correct
CloudFront caches popular package files at edge locations, so repeated downloads can be served without repeatedly hitting S3. That reduces origin data transfer and improves user download performance, which is exactly what this scenario needs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Use versioned object names and long cache TTLs for the release artifacts.
Why this is correct
Versioned filenames make it safe to cache the packages aggressively because a new release uses new object names. Long TTLs then let CloudFront reuse cached copies for many downloads, cutting origin requests and lowering cost.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Disable caching so every user always gets the newest file from S3.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling caching guarantees more origin traffic, higher latency, and higher S3 data transfer costs. The files are release artifacts, so they are well suited to aggressive caching with versioned names.
- ✗
Serve the downloads from a self-managed EC2 web server instead of S3.
Why it's wrong here
A self-managed web server adds patching, scaling, and availability work and does not automatically reduce data transfer cost. It is usually more expensive than serving static packages from S3 through CloudFront.
- ✗
Move the release packages to S3 Glacier Deep Archive for faster downloads.
Why it's wrong here
Deep Archive is for extremely low-cost long-term retention, not for active software distribution. Retrieval is slower and more expensive than standard storage classes, so it is the wrong fit for frequently downloaded packages.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think disabling caching ensures freshness (Option C) or that moving to a cheaper storage class like Glacier Deep Archive (Option E) reduces cost, without realizing that both actions increase origin data transfer or retrieval latency, contradicting the goal of lowering delivery cost for frequently accessed objects.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CloudFront uses a pull-through caching model where the first request for an object fetches it from the S3 origin and caches it at the edge; subsequent requests within the TTL are served from the edge cache, incurring no S3 data transfer charges. The cache hit ratio can be optimized by using versioned object names (e.g., app-v1.2.3.zip) and setting a long Cache-Control max-age TTL (e.g., 365 days), ensuring that new releases invalidate old caches automatically. Under the hood, CloudFront supports Origin Shield to further reduce origin load by aggregating requests from multiple edge locations into a single request to S3.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — This question tests Design Cost-Optimized Architectures — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Put Amazon CloudFront in front of the S3 origin. — Amazon CloudFront acts as a content delivery network (CDN) that caches objects at edge locations close to users. By placing CloudFront in front of the S3 bucket, repeated downloads of the same file are served from the edge cache, drastically reducing the number of requests to the S3 origin and lowering data transfer costs from S3. CloudFront also offers free data transfer to the origin for cached content, further optimizing delivery cost.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SAA-C03
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A team serves static content (JavaScript, CSS, images) from S3 through CloudFront. After a recent release, CloudFront reports a low cache hit ratio and the S3 origin receives a much higher request rate. The site still works, but billing shows higher origin and data transfer costs. Which change is most likely to improve cache hit ratio and reduce origin load?
medium- ✓ A.Configure a CloudFront cache policy (or update HTTP cache-control headers) to increase TTLs for versioned static assets and enable compression for text assets.
- B.Disable CloudFront access logging so fewer requests are recorded and billing decreases automatically.
- C.Set the distribution’s origin to use S3 Transfer Acceleration to reduce the number of requests hitting S3.
- D.Force CloudFront to forward query strings to the origin for all static content so the latest versions are always fetched.
Why A: Option A is correct because increasing TTLs for versioned static assets via a CloudFront cache policy or HTTP Cache-Control headers ensures that CloudFront caches these immutable objects for longer periods, reducing the number of requests forwarded to the S3 origin. Enabling compression for text assets reduces the data transferred from origin to edge, further lowering origin load and costs. This directly addresses the low cache hit ratio and high origin request rate described in the scenario.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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